Michael Haigh
Physical Scientist: Ice/Ocean Modeller
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Michael Haigh
Physical Scientist: Ice/Ocean Modeller
Biography
I am an Ice/Ocean Modeller in the Shelf Seas group at BAS. My research primarily considers ocean-driven melting of the vulnerable ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica. I use ice/ocean models to research variability across a range of timescales (from daily to centennial) and to study important interactions between the atmosphere, ice and ocean. I also have interests the Ross Sea and pan-Antarctic ice-ocean interactions.
Prior to joining BAS, I was a research associate at Imperial College London where I researched ocean turbulence and eddy transport.
Research interests
Ice/ocean modelling
Physical oceanography
Ice-shelf melting and sea-level rise
Ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions
Collaborations
M. Haigh, P.R. Holland and T. Caton Harrison, 2025: Wind-driven coastal polynya variability drives decadal ice-shelf melt variability in the Amundsen Sea. GRL, in review.
Y. Liu et al., 2025: Spatial Characteristics and Dynamic Mechanisms of the Antarctic Slope Current in the Ross Sea. JGR: Oceans, in press.
M. Haigh & P.R. Holland, 2024: Decadal variability of ice-shelf melting in the Amundsen Sea driven by sea-ice freshwater fluxes. GRL, 51.
M. Haigh, P.R. Holland and A. Jenkins, 2023: The Influence of Bathymetry Over Heat Transport onto the Amundsen Sea Continental Shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 128(5).
M. Haigh and P. Berloff, 2022: On the stability of tracer simulations with opposite-signed diffusivities. J. Fluid Mech., 937, R3.
M. Haigh and P. Berloff, 2021: On co-existing diffusive and anti-diffusive tracer transport by oceanic mesoscale eddies. Ocean Modelling, 168, 101909.
M. Haigh, L. Sun, J.C. McWilliams, and P. Berloff, 2021: On eddy transport in the ocean. Part II: The advection tensor. Ocean Modelling, 165, 101845.
M. Haigh, L. Sun, J.C. McWilliams, and P. Berloff, 2021: On eddy transport in the ocean. Part I: The diffusion tensor. Ocean Modelling, 164, 101831.
L. Sun, M. Haigh, I. Shevchenko, P. Berloff, and I. Kamenkovich, 2021: On non-uniqueness of the mesoscale eddy diffusivity. J. Fluid Mech., 920, A32
Kamenkovich, I., P. Berloff, M. Haigh, L. Sun, and Y. Lu, 2021: Complexity of mesoscale eddy diffusivity in the ocean. Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL091719.
M. Haigh, L. Sun, I. Shevchenko, and P. Berloff, 2020: Tracer-based estimates of eddy-induced diffusivities. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 160, 103264.
M.C. Haigh and P.S. Berloff, 2020: Rossby waves and zonal momentum redistribution induced by localised forcing in the rotating shallow-water model. J. Fluid Mech., 885, A43.
M.C. Haigh and P.S. Berloff, 2018: Potential vorticity redistribution by localised transient forcing in the shallow-water model. J. Fluid Mech., 852, 199–225.
Publications from NERC Open Research Archive
2025
Liu, Yang ORCID record for Yang Liu, Liu, Chengyan ORCID record for Chengyan Liu, Wang, Zhaomin, Yan, Liangjun, Haigh, Michael ORCID record for Michael Haigh, Han, Xianxian ORCID record for Xianxian Han, Liu, Kechen, Xia, Yue, Zeng, Jiabao ORCID record for Jiabao Zeng, Li, Xiang ORCID record for Xiang Li, Liang, Xi ORCID record for Xi Liang. (2025) Spatial Characteristics and Dynamic Mechanisms of the Antarctic Slope Current in the Ross Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 130 (). 17 pp. doi:10.1029/2025JC023219
2024
Caton Harrison, Thomas ORCID record for Thomas Caton Harrison, Bracegirdle, Thomas J. ORCID record for Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Davrinche, Cécile, Dutrieux, Pierre ORCID record for Pierre Dutrieux, Gilbert, Ella ORCID record for Ella Gilbert, Haigh, Michael ORCID record for Michael Haigh, Jones, Julie M., Kent, Elizabeth C. ORCID record for Elizabeth C. Kent, King, John ORCID record for John King, Lu, Hua ORCID record for Hua Lu, Price, Ruth ORCID record for Ruth Price, Schmidt, Christina, Vignon, Étienne, Wiener, Valentin. (2024) Advances and next steps in observing and modeling Antarctica’s coastal winds. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 105 (). 7 pp. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0247.1
Haigh, Michael ORCID record for Michael Haigh, Holland, Paul R. ORCID record for Paul R. Holland. (2024) Decadal variability of ice-shelf melting in the Amundsen Sea driven by sea-ice freshwater fluxes. Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (). 10 pp. 10.1029/2024GL108406
2023
Haigh, Michael ORCID record for Michael Haigh, Holland, Paul R. ORCID record for Paul R. Holland, Jenkins, Adrian. (2023) The Influence of Bathymetry Over Heat Transport Onto the Amundsen Sea Continental Shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 128 (). 19 pp. 10.1029/2022JC019460